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In this week\u2019s cannabis news round-up, DEA asserts authority over cannabis scheduling, defying HHS recommendation; California cracks down on cannabis testing labs; and cannabis legalization in Canada not linked to spike in cannabis-related psychosis.<\/p>\n The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has asserted its authority in deciding the scheduling of cannabis, regardless of recommendations made by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This revelation comes amid an ongoing review of the plant\u2019s legal status, initiated by\u00a0President Joe Biden<\/a>\u00a0to the Secretary of HHS and the attorney general in 2022.<\/p>\n Michael Miller, the Acting Chief of the Office of Congressional Affairs at the DEA, sent a letter to Congressional Cannabis Caucus co-chair Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) with an overview of the current scheduling review process.\u00a0<\/p>\n The letter comes in response to the recommendation by HHS for the DEA to\u00a0reclassify cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III<\/a>\u00a0under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), opening the dual possibility of researching the plant\u2019s therapeutic potential and expanding the cannabis industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cDEA has the final authority to schedule, reschedule or deschedule a drug under the Controlled Substances Act, after considering the relevant statutory and regulatory criteria and HHS\u2019s scientific and medical evaluation,\u201d the\u00a0letter states<\/a>. \u201cDEA is now conducting its review.\u201d<\/p>\n In a move to combat rampant labeling scams that have plagued the sector for years, California\u2019s Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) suspended testing of numerous popular products at most previously certified cannabis labs, effective January 1.<\/p>\n For years, there have been allegations that labs routinely manipulated THC potency figures to inflate product values in California\u2019s challenging and highly competitive market.\u00a0<\/p>\n According to the DCC\u2019s website, labs are now \u201crequired to use the Department of Cannabis Control\u2019s (DCC) standardized cannabinoids\u00a0test method and standardized operating procedures<\/a>\u00a0for testing dried flower, including non-infused pre-rolls.\u201d<\/p>\n Twelve of the state\u2019s 38 labs met the new stringent standards. Labs that fail to comply can still test other products, including edibles and vape pens. However, until they demonstrate their ability to meet the DCC\u2019s expected standards, they\u2019ll be prohibited from conducting tests on flower.<\/p>\n Under California law, all cannabis products must undergo testing at state-certified labs to assess contaminants like pesticides and determine the potency of THC, the primary psychoactive component of cannabis. The THC potency is typically displayed as a percentage on cannabis flower packaging, similar to how alcohol percentages are indicated on beer or wine labels.<\/p>\n The genesis of these new regulations lies in a 2021 state Legislature law aimed at combating labeling fraud within the legal cannabis market. Consumers often pay a premium for cannabis products boasting higher THC content, which, in turn, incentivizes labs to inflate their test results. This manipulation has grown alarmingly common, with a\u00a02022 study<\/a>\u00a0revealing that 87% of the 150 tested products exhibited potencies lower than their labeled claims.<\/p>\n Last year, California residents initiated multiple class-action lawsuits against cannabis companies, alleging that overstated potencies amounted to false advertising. This crackdown on testing irregularities signifies a pivotal step in enhancing transparency and credibility within California\u2019s thriving cannabis industry.<\/p>\n The labs that met the DCC\u2019s requirements are 2 Rivers Labs, Bel Costa Labs Long Beach LLC, California Cannabis Testing Labs, CaliGreen Laboratory, Certified Ag Labs, Encore Labs LLC, Harrens Lab Inc., HK Holding LLC, ILS Lab Inc., Infinite Chemical Analysis Labs, Pure Cannalyst Lab Inc., Purity Medical Laboratories and SC Laboratories California LLC.\u00a0<\/p>\n According to data<\/a> recently published in the\u00a0International Journal of Drug Policy<\/em>, the legalization of the Canadian cannabis market hasn\u2019t led to an increase in cases of cannabis-related psychosis.<\/p>\n Canadian researchers looked at regional changes in healthcare service utilization and occurrences of psychotic disorders shortly after the country legalized adult use cannabis in October 2018. Their findings indicate that in a period of 17 months following cannabis legalization, there\u2019s no significant evidence of heightened healthcare service use or an uptick in new cases of psychotic disorders.<\/p>\n However, the researchers caution that to grasp the full population-level impacts of non-medical cannabis legalization, it\u2019s essential observe these trends over a more extended post-legalization timeframe.<\/p>\n This outcome aligns with a similar conclusion from a 2022 study<\/a> published in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry<\/em>. That study, too, found that the implementation of Canada\u2019s cannabis legalization framework didn\u2019t result in significant changes in cannabis-induced psychosis or schizophrenia-related emergency department visits.<\/p>\n There hasn\u2019t been a statistically significant increase in psychosis-related health issues in the US, either. A 2022 paper published in the Journal of the American Medical<\/em> Association<\/em><\/a>\u00a0(JAMA) Network Open revealed that state legalization in the US wasn\u2019t linked to notable changes in the rates of psychosis-related diagnoses or prescriptions for antipsychotic medications.<\/p>\n The post Week in Review: DEA Asserts Authority Over Cannabis Scheduling<\/a> appeared first on Cannabis Now<\/a>.<\/p>\n
In this week\u2019s cannabis news round-up, DEA asserts authority over cannabis scheduling, defying HHS recommendation; California cracks down on cannabis testing labs; and cannabis legalization in Canada not linked to spike in cannabis-related psychosis. PHOTO Esteban L\u00f3pez DEA Asserts Authority Over Cannabis Scheduling, Defying HHS Recommendation The Drug Enforcement AdministrationContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":71529,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[148,34,17562,50,3794,1589,1348,1074,80,848,16017,17386,186],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71528"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71528"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71528\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":71530,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71528\/revisions\/71530"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71529"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71528"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71528"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71528"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"DEA](\"https:\/\/cannabisnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/cannabis-scheduling-DEA.jpg\")
<\/a>DEA Asserts Authority Over Cannabis Scheduling, Defying HHS Recommendation<\/h4>\n
<\/a>California Cracks Down on Cannabis Testing Labs<\/h4>\n
<\/a>Cannabis Legalization in Canada Not Linked to Spike in Cannabis-Related Psychosis<\/h4>\n
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\nRead More: Week in Review: DEA Asserts Authority Over Cannabis Scheduling<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"